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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Tanya Stowe: Ten Time-Saving Tips for Writers

Several years ago I gave a
talk. Afterwards, a member of the audience suggested I speak on time
management. I had to laugh. Time is a constant topic for me because I always
have so little of it. It wasn’t until I started working a thirty-hour-a-week
job that I learned how to manage my time.

I used to rise at 4:30 am, write for three hours, go to work
for six hours, run errands, do household chores and chauffeur the kids. Between
5—8 p.m., I did dinner and homework and then fell into bed. It was a very tight
schedule and many things went by the wayside, but in that time I completed two
books—double what I’d accomplished in the previous two years.

No, I’m not Superwoman. There were frequent crash-and-burn
sessions where I turned into Jell-O for days at a time. But I learned to
prioritize, to write on demand and to make the best use of the time given to
me.

Below are a few of the things I learned:

Start your day with prayer

“I
can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

Writing is a mental drain. It’s
as if you open your brain and pour it onto the page. When you’re finished,
there’s nothing left. A twenty-minute walk, a turn on the exercise bike or laps
in the pool gets the blood pumping to the brain and clears out the cobwebs. Plain
and simply, exercise is essential to keep up with today’s hectic pace.

Get Plenty of Rest

Studies show that we are most
susceptible to viruses when we’re tired. Getting the rest your body requires will help you fend off the bugs constantly coming your way.

Organize
Whenever Possible

Sort drawers so you can always find scissors,
pens and pads, or recipes. Don’t waste time hunting.

Use a carrier with a handle for all the cleaning
supplies you’ll need and carry it from room to room as you work. Don’t waste
time fetching.

Create a 3-ring notebook with packet folders for
all your research and notes for your latest book so it’s in one central, easy-to-find
place.

Create files for PR, characterization, plotting.
If you receive a handout you want to keep, toss it in the appropriate file. If
you see an article you want, tear it out, staple it and drop in the file for
easy access.

Don’t
procrastinate. When you bring in the mail, take five minutes to sort it. Junk
mail in the trash, bills in a file.

Unload
the dishwasher first thing in the morning so dishes don’t pile up in the sink
during the day.

Take
a few extra minutes to put things away. Hang up your jacket, don’t throw it
over the chair. Put your briefcase in the closet by the door. Things won’t pile
up on you and once-a-week clean-up will be shorter.

Put that
Smart Phone to Good Use

Make sure your scheduler
will coordinate between all your devices. You don’t want to hunt dates
created on your phone to add to your computer.

Listen to a seminar on the
way to work, while on the exercise bike during lunch and ten minutes on
the way home. That’s a half-hour’s worth of a seminar conference session
in one day.

I’ve pre-programmed
birthdays and anniversaries into my scheduler so it will remind me in
plenty of time to purchase presents or cards, and I have it when I’m out
and about.

I even have an app to plan menus and
create my grocery lists…again, one that syncs between my devices. My
personal favorite is Big Oven.

There are also apps for
prayers, Christian music and scripture…reminders throughout the day to
rely on and turn to the Ultimate Organizer.

Be Good
to Yourself

Take time to smell the roses or watch the sunset. Surround
yourself with the things you love.

I love paintings. Every
morning when I turn on my computer, my screensaver comes up with a
painting and a quote. I savor the quote and the picture in the quiet
moments before I begin my day.

On my desk I have a flip
calendar with daily quotes and lots of flowers. I try to take a few quiet
moments every day to read and study the picture. It’s a beautiful,
positive thing in a strung-out day.

Create an
“I Love Me Book”

Get
another 3-ring binder with pockets and plastic inserts. (There are apps for
this, as well!) Inside the binder put letters, photos of friends at talks and
conferences, awards, contest wins, book covers—anything positive. Then when you
get that next rejection letter, you can pull out your book and flip through the
pages. You’ll feel better. You’ll even remember how really good you are and
that will remind you why you keep this insane schedule.

About Tanya:

Tanya Stowe is an author of Christian Fiction with an unexpected edge. She fills her stories with the unusual…gifts of the spirit and miracles, mysteries and exotic travel, even an angel or two. No matter where Tanya takes you…on a journey to the Old West or to contemporary adventures in foreign lands…be prepared for the extraordinary. www.tanyastowe.com

Madison Harper is glad to be alive after a devastating auto accident. She loves her new community, too. There's something peaceful about the Heart's Haven cottages. Madison wakes up every morning, praising the Lord and basking in constant sunshine--until the day Andrew Hart collapses from a massive heart attack and dies.

When widower Vance Mallory arrives to help his sister bury her husband, he and Madison agree to bury the hatchet from their turbulent past. But no matter how hard they try, they seem to bring out the worst in each other. Their verbal battles uncover too many old hurts, mistaken paths, and hidden feelings.

Can these two embittered souls ever hope to find peace and healing or has the healing peace of Heart's Haven died with Mr. Hart?Want to tweet this article? Here's a ready-to-go tweet:

Not enough time to write? Get Time-Saving Tips for Writers at Write Right! hhttp://ow.ly/wgHSm @DeliaLatham @TanyaStowe1

Great post! Tanya, I am so with you on all of it...if I had a 30 hour a week job, maybe I'd squeeze some writing in, too! LOL I actually started truly writing the summer I had worked part time! Yeah, life gets the best of us! Funny I just wrote about this on another blog! God bless! I love the Hart's Haven series! You guys rock!!!

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